Telecommunications: Mobile operators are testing new antenna locations

telecommunications
Cell phone operators are testing new antenna locations

Vodafone relies on advertising pillars in which small 5G antennas are installed and are not visible from the outside. Photo: Malte Krudewig / dpa

© dpa-infocom GmbH

With the 5G mobile communications standard, Internet use on the go should become much better. The expansion is in full swing, but the network operators have one problem: What to do with all the necessary antennas?

When expanding its mobile network, the telecommunications company Vodafone is relying on advertising pillars as antenna locations.

The company put the first such radio system into operation on Thursday in Düsseldorf, with 150 more to follow. As a result, you can make further progress towards the goal of nationwide 5G coverage, said the head of technology at Vodafone Germany, Gerhard Mack, at the inauguration. He hopes that the model project will catch on and that it will also be transferred to other cities. The three small antennas with a range of around 400 meters are hidden under a gray lightweight dome that is on the advertising pillar.

The background to this is the fact that the range in 5G is significantly lower in high frequencies than in 4G – this means that telecommunications companies need many more locations for their 5G network. All three German network operators are desperately looking for places where they can install their 5G radio cells. The search for suitable antenna locations is very difficult, said Vodafone manager Mack. “We get a lot of resistance, many homeowners no longer want to rent their roof space to us because they are afraid that the tenants will then cause stress.”

With the advertising pillars, Vodafone is now taking an unusual path. But the idea is not entirely new: In Berlin, Telekom is already using 200 lift barrel columns as locations for antennas, but in 4G. The project started in March is going well, according to a Telekom spokesman. In 2022, Telekom advertising pillars could also use the 5G standard.

Street lights are also coming into focus. Telefónica has been broadcasting 5G from a street lamp in Frankfurt am Main since July. If the pilot project is successful, one wants to use more lanterns, says a Telefónica spokesman. Vodafone in turn also uses some lanterns for 5G, these are in Düsseldorf.

One advantage of lanterns and advertising pillars: The minimum distance to people due to radiation exposure can be kept well. But couldn’t the locations still stir up concerns among citizens? Vodafone chief technology officer Mack emphasized: “We have the strictest regulations and laws on the subject of signal-to-noise ratios in Germany – and they are all adhered to.” Düsseldorf’s Lord Mayor Stephan Keller (CDU) said: “The radiation issues have been adequately taken into account in the location certificate from the Federal Network Agency.” You have to live with a dense antenna network if you want 5G – “and that’s what we want”.

dpa

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